Day Trips to Massachussetts

The Trustees of Reservations(The Trustees), the nation’s oldest statewide land conservation organization and owner of 105 reservations located around the state of Massachussets, have sent me a list of some great destinations, including those that could be used for day trips.

The properties owned by the Trustees range from working farms and historic homesteads — several of which are National Historic Landmarks — to formal gardens, barrier beaches, open meadows, woodland trails, and mountain vistas and 3 green, LEED-certified buildings, including the Doyle Center in Leominster, which serves as a meeting space and gathering place for the conservation community.

Here are some of the properties that are owned by the Trustees that are located in the Berkshires and that are relatively close to the Albany, New York area:

Naumkeag, Stockbridge

http://www.thetrustees.org/places-to-visit/berkshires/naumkeag.html

Naumkeag is a National Historic Landmark from the Gilded Age located just half a mile from downtown Stockbridge.

Mission House is another National Historic Landmark owned and operated by The Trustees, which offers garden and museum tours where you learn more about the Native American history of the area and the place where Stockbridge was first founded.

On August 5, 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville enjoyed a well-chronicled picnic hike up Monument Mountain. A thunderstorm forced them to seek shelter where a lengthy and vigorous discussion ensued, inspiring powerful ideas for Melville’s new book, Moby Dick.

On August 7th from 9:30AM to 12NOON, join The Trustees and The Berkshire Historical Society for a guided hike to retrace the footsteps of Herman Melville and Nathaniel Hawthorne. As the two authors did, share a glass of champagne (sparking cider) and a reading of William Cullen Bryant’s famous poem named for the mountain. Led for the 26th year by Gordan Hyatt of the Berkshire Historical Society. Event is FREE.

Field Farm, The Folly & The Guest House at Field Farm, Williamstown

http://www.thetrustees.org/places-to-visit/berkshires/field-farm.html

The Folly, is a Modern-style cottage built in 1966, and the Guest House provides an overnight stay, with its Scandinavian furniture, modern art, and international-style architecture of straight lines and glass. If you’re visiting the Berkshires, the Trustees say that the Guest House is a close drive to Mass MoCA, the Clark Art Institute and other attractions. Rooms are discounted for Trustees members.

A National Natural Landmark. Bartholomew’s Cobble received the designation in 1971 as home to one of North America’s greatest diversities of fern species as well as the widest variety of forest types in Berkshire County. Among other things, the Cobble offers guided Sunday canoe trips throughout the summer and fall.

Ashley House/A site on the African American Heritage Trail, Sheffieldhttp://www.thetrustees.org/places-to-visit/berkshires/ashley-house.html

In the late 1700s, the Ashley House sat on the edge of the Massachusetts Colony, and at the cutting edge of history. In this, the oldest house in Berkshire County, seeds of the American Revolution were planted in the famous Sheffield Resolves. The Ashley House is considered to be a key anchor site on the Upper Housatonic Valley African American Heritage Trail (AAHT), providing a great day trip/learning opportunity for kids, schools and families.

To help kick off the AAHT’s 5th anniversary, The Trustees and AAHT partners are hosting their annual Elizabeth Freeman day on August 21st and unveiling a new visitor center designed by local graduate students from UMass Amherst beginning at 12 noon. All ages are welcome. Event is FREE and open to the public.